Despite 5000 calls of waterlogging, road closures, and traffic snarls over two days, Mumbai’s heavy-rain day after weeks passed off relatively incident-free
A man rides through a stretch at Sion-BKC Road. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Mumbai witnessed heavy rainfall on Friday, resulting in widespread waterlogging and traffic snarls, especially along arterial routes such as the Western Express Highway and SV Road. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for the city for Friday and Saturday, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas. Other coastal districts like Palghar, Thane, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg were also placed under orange alert, while Raigad received a red alert, indicating extremely heavy rain at isolated spots.
Pic/Atul Kamble
As the city coped with relentless rain, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Management Department reported receiving nearly 5000 monsoon-related calls in the past two days. “Most of these calls were about waterlogging, road closures, and traffic congestion. No major distress calls have been reported,” said a BMC official.
Andheri, Kurla, Vakola, Goregaon, and Malad experienced significant waterlogging on Friday morning. The Andheri subway was closed thrice due to water accumulation of up to 2 feet—at 8 am, 10 am, and 2 pm. Traffic was diverted to Gokhale and Balasaheb Thackeray flyovers, resulting in jams on the Western Express Highway, especially around Jogeshwari and Vikhroli.
Pedestrians navigate between slow-moving traffic and waterlogged roads outside Bandra station. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Rainfall data from BMC shows that as of Friday morning, the Colaba observatory recorded 924.2 mm of rain since the onset of the monsoon, 44.11 per cent of the annual average. Santacruz logged 1176.3 mm, or 50.72 per cent of its yearly average. In comparison, by the same date in 2024, Colaba had received 1815.7 mm (86.67 per cent), and Santacruz had seen 1910.9 mm (82.40 per cent). Between Monday (July 20) and Friday (July 25), Colaba recorded 189.4 mm and Santacruz 378.7 mm of rainfall.
In the 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, the city reported:
>> 10 short circuits
>> 11 tree collapses
>> 2 partial wall collapses
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in any of these incidents.
Traffic cops help commuters navigate through the flood street at King’s Circle. Pic /By Special Arrangement
Transport & traffic updates
Railways
Central Railway
300-plus train services delayed by over 5 minutes, 20 delayed by over 10 minutes, and 15–20 cancelled.
Trains ran at reduced speeds of 70–90 kmph (vs the allowed 110 kmph) due to poor visibility, especially along the Kalyan-Kasara/Karjat corridors and the ghat section.
Western Railway
Mostly on time, barring minor morning delays due to late-arriving long-distance trains.
Harbour line
Trains saw 10–15-minute delays during peak hours.
BMC workers check the water level on a flooded road during rain, at Andheri subway, in Mumbai. Pic/PTI
Traffic
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumbhare told mid-day, “Despite continuous rains, there were no major traffic jams. We’re monitoring hotspots like Andheri and Milan subways to prevent accidents and have not had to enforce major diversions yet.”
Andheri-Goregaon
Veera Desai Road was waterlogged over a 100-metre stretch, causing inconvenience to locals. Waterlogging was also reported on Oshiwara Bridge, with traffic police deployed to manage the situation.
On the Western Express Highway, southbound traffic between Goregaon and Jogeshwari was smooth around 3 pm, while the northbound side moved slowly, frustrating commuters.
Two friends share an umbrella in Ballard Estate. Pic/Ashish Raje
Kalyan-Dombivli
Intermittent rain continued on Friday, but no major disruptions were reported. Local trains were delayed by 5–10 minutes. A minor drainage choke-up on Chedda Road in Dombivli East was cleared quickly. Some congestion was reported on Tilak Road due to potholes.
Navi Mumbai
Moderate to heavy rainfall lashed the region. The highest rainfalls were recorded at:
Koperkhairane: 100.30 mm
Digha: 91 mm
Airoli: 89.80 mm
Waterlogging was reported in Nerul and Airoli, while traffic slowed to a crawl on the Sion-Panvel highway. Long jams were seen in Nerul, Belapur, and near the Turbhe flyover.
Sujit Nair, a resident of Sector 20, Nerul, said, “It took me over an hour to reach Nerul from Vashi, double the usual time.”
Priyanka Naik, a commuter from Seawoods to Vashi, added, “Trains were delayed and autos were charging double. I missed my shift at work.”
The NMMC Disaster Management Unit remained on high alert, working closely with fire, health, and solid waste teams to prevent serious flooding.
NMMC Commissioner Kailas Shinde urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel if heavy rains continue.
IMD chief says
In a Q&A, IMD Mumbai chief Shubhangi Bhute explains current downpour, why the city lags behind last year’s rainfall, and when showers will let up
What is causing this spell of heavy rain?
Bhute: An orange alert has been issued for Mumbai on Friday and Saturday. Mumbai also experienced heavy rainfall on Thursday. This is due to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, along with an active offshore trough near coastal Maharashtra. As a result, the entire coastal and interior region of Maharashtra is witnessing heavy rainfall.
Will the rain subside next week?
Bhute: The orange alert remains in place for Friday and Saturday. A yellow alert is issued for Sunday, with moderate rain forecasted for Monday and Tuesday. We expect the intensity to reduce after Saturday.
Despite multiple heavy rain days, why is Mumbai still behind last year’s rainfall figures?
Bhute: Rural parts of Maharashtra have received significant rainfall, fulfilling nearly 80 per cent of their seasonal average, which is helping lake levels rise. Around Mumbai, this pattern is visible too. If current synoptic conditions persist, Mumbai can expect better rainfall in the coming weeks. Although the monsoon arrived early this year, initial atmospheric conditions were not conducive to heavy rain.
BMC statement
“Over 10,000 civic personnel are currently deployed across Mumbai to handle waterlogging and other monsoon-related issues. Department heads, engineers, pump operators, and staff from the health and sanitation departments, as well as emergency teams, are on the ground, responding to the situation in real time.”
Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has instructed assistant commissioners of all wards to remain at their offices and monitor the situation closely. The BMC also confirmed that Gagrani is personally overseeing operations from the Disaster Management Control Room.
Railways
Some trains ran five to 10 minutes late, while a few had to be cancelled
Roads
Veera Desai Road was waterlogged over a 100-metre stretch, causing inconvenience to motorists.
Traffic
‘Despite continuous rain, there were no major traffic jams. We’re monitoring hotspots like Andheri and Milan subways to prevent accidents and have not had to enforce major diversions yet’ Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumbhare
No deaths or injuries
10
Short circuits
2
Partial wall collapses
11
Tree collapses
Rainfall this week
Between Monday (July 20) and Friday (July 25), Colaba recorded 189.4 mm and Santacruz 378.7 mm of rainfall
10K
No of BMC personnel deployed across city to handle waterlogging, other monsoon-related issues
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